New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

Beautiful new entrance to the teaching garden.

As we have entered into August the weather has been anything but typical.  The abundant rain has allowed us to use almost no irrigation. But the lack of sunshine, cold temperatures, and constantly wet plants has caused  devastation to our crop of tomatoes. Late blight has struck nearly all of the 600 tomato plants in the Garden of Seven Gates.  Next year we will move the crop, use all new supports, and increase the potassium in the early season.   For more information about late blight check out this link. http://www.longislandhort.cornell.edu/vegpath/photos/lateblight_tomato.htm.   On a very positive note we have been doing tons of flowers and vegetable harvesting. We are currently picking: tomatoes, peppers, swiss chard, kale, green beans, basil, mint, beets, radishes, cucumbers, dill, watermelons, lettuce, bittermelon, raspberries, and much more.  Within the next few weeks we will be harvesting squash, sweet potatoes, soy beans, amaranth, sunflower seeds, and pole beans. Flowers have been thriving and we have a beautiful abundance and great variety.  Each day flowers are picked for the deities and for the Pushpa Abhishek festival we were able to pick 154 gallons of marigolds.

First two ripe golden watermelons.

The rain has been great for germinating new seedlings.  This week we started  fall seedlings: cabbage, beets, kale, spinach, kohlrabi, and peas.  We are also starting to plant cover crops.  One of the fields that has been resting to increase soil fertility first had a crop of buckwheat and has now been planted with daikon radishes.  With 1 acre we will have unlimited greens and radishes and what we don’t use will be used as a ground breaking compost.

Seeding cover crops

Daikon Radish field

The most exciting improvement in the Garden of Seven Gates has been the reconstruction of two former greenhouses.  We are building a hot house (heated green house) for both our spring and fall seedlings.  We are also building two high tunnel greenhouses one for year round greens and the other for season extending flowers. The three greenhouses are located within the gates of the Garden of Seven Gates.  As we enter into the late summer we will continue to plant and harvest while plans for next years gardens are already being drawn out. Happy Harvesting!

Marigolds in the Teaching Garden